Red Sox capitalize on Cardinals' fundamental failures

Cardinals shortstop Pete Kozma drops the ball trying to turn a double play as Boston's Dustin Pedroia slides into second base during the first inning. Pedroia was originally called out, but after an umpires conference the ruling was reversed.ELSA, GETTY IMAGES

BOSTON – Here were the St. Louis Cardinals, living, breathing instructional videos, melting in the fire Wednesday night at Fenway Park. On any given sweltering summer afternoon in the great Midwest, toddlers and grandparents assemble to watch them ply their trade, and then old turns to young to say, “That's how it should be done.”

But here was October, the first game of the World Series, and - suddenly and alarmingly - fundamentals fell at their feet. The Cardinals, a clean-shaven, spiffy, by-the-book organization, came unglued in their first two innings, and the Boston Red Sox punished them, an 8-1 victory that opened a series that was supposed to be about the best baseball has to offer and turned, momentarily, into a circus.

Left-hander Jon Lester deserves credit for his 7 2/3 scoreless innings in which he walked one and struck out eight, and he'll get it in Boston. Mike Napoli ripped a three-run double in the first, gashing the Cardinals, and David Ortiz finished them off with a two-run homer in the seventh off lefty specialist Kevin Siegrist, whose run allowed counted as unearned against the team. Those were important elements, for sure.

But the seeds of this defeat were planted, and then lovingly cared for, by the Cardinals themselves. In those first two innings, the Cardinals gave away no fewer than four outs, and their right fielder - the postseason stud Carlos Beltran - was removed with bruised ribs and taken to a nearby hospital. By the time they reassembled, performed some breathing exercises and looked like a baseball team again, it was 5-0, Boston. Check, please.

Which gaffe best encapsulates a night on which the Cardinals allowed four unearned runs? Let's line up the candidates, parade them around the stage, and decide. Secret ballot, please.

St. Louis right-hander Adam Wainwright, he of the 2.10 postseason ERA, is not at fault here, but he did open the first by walking Jacoby Ellsbury. Still, downright disaster didn't strike until there was one out, men on first and second, and October legend Ortiz at the plate. With the count 2-1, Wainwright executed his pitch, a cut fastball that Ortiz bounced to second baseman Matt Carpenter.

But when Carpenter fed shortstop Pete Kozma - whose horrific offensive season means he must be good with the glove, because why else would he be in there? - things went haywire. Not only did Kozma drop the feed, visible both in plain sight and slow motion, but second base umpire Dana DeMuth called baserunner Dustin Pedroia out.

That brought Boston Manager John Farrell out of the dugout. Eventually, all six umps conferred, and they got the call right. With Ortiz running, a clean turn meant the inning would have been over. Instead, the bases were loaded, and when Napoli followed with a laser to left-center - a ball kicked around by center fielder Shane Robinson, who is now more familiar with Fenway's idiosyncrasies. A clean first inning turned into a 3-0 Boston lead.

The Cardinals, purveyors of something known as the “Cardinal Way,” typically would collect themselves after such a performance. They won 97 games this year, have been to the playoffs 10 times in the last 14 seasons, and are successful in part because they can shrug off such lapses, rare as they are. Then they opened the second by getting Boston shortstop Stephen Drew, hopeless in the postseason at the plate, to hit a soft, low popup on the infield.

Wainwright called for it initially, and he looked to have the best play. But as catcher Yadier Molina approached, Wainwright pulled back. The ball settled, untouched, into the grass all of 40 feet from home plate, a single in the scorebook, an error to anyone who watched it.

Then, the final blow. With one out and runners at first and second, Shane Victorino hit a ball into the hole between short and third. Kozma - and remember, he's 4 for 33 this postseason, and hit .217 with a .273 slugging percentage during the year - couldn't corral it. He was deep enough that he may not have had a play at any base, but the official scorer ruled it an error, and the bases were loaded.

So, naturally on this night, Pedroia followed with a run-scoring single to left, and with the bases still loaded, Ortiz drilled a fly ball to deep right, a grand slam in so many parks. But depending on the severity of Beltran's injury, this could have been worse for the Cardinals. Beltran drifted back, and he plucked the ball from the air just before it sailed into the bullpen. He also ran hard into the wall. His ribs matched the Cardinals' psyche: badly bruised.

Given such an advantage, Lester did what he had to. His one even borderline-nervous moment came in the fourth, when the Cardinals loaded the bases with one out. But he extracted himself in clinical fashion, a fashion the Cardinals couldn't match - fielding David Freese's chopper back to the mound, throwing home for the force, then celebrating with catcher David Ross on the turn of the double play.

For one night, the Cardinals - protectors of the game - couldn't manage such a play. They now head to Thursday's Game 2 in search of both themselves and the way baseball should be played.

Cardinals shortstop Pete Kozma drops the ball trying to turn a double play as Boston's Dustin Pedroia slides into second base during the first inning. Pedroia was originally called out, but after an umpires conference the ruling was reversed. ELSA, GETTY IMAGES
Mike Napoli drives a bases-loaded double to the gap in left-center to give the Red Sox a 3-0 lead over the Cardinals during the first inning. JIM ROGASH, GETTY IMAGES
David Ortiz slides home to score the third Red Sox run on a bases-clearing double by Mike Napoli that sent Boston on its way to an 8-1 win over the Cardinals in Game 1 of the World Series on Wednesday night. ROB CARR, GETTY IMAGES
Cardinals right fielder Carlos Beltran leaps to catch a long fly ball hit by Red Sox DH David Ortiz during the second inning, saving a grand slam but injuring himself in the process. CHARLIE RIEDEL, AP
Red Sox starting pitcher Jon Lester acknowledges the crowd as he leaves the game during the eighth inning after not allowing a run in Game 1 against the Cardinals. CHARLIE RIEDEL, AP
Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright looks at catcher Yadier Molina as they let a pop up by Red Sox shortstop Stephen Drew fall between them for a hit in the second inning. CHARLIE RIEDEL, AP
Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina and pitcher Adam Wainwright react with dismay as they let a pop up by Red Sox shortstop Stephen Drew fall between them during the second inning. CHRIS LEE, MCT
Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina and pitcher Adam Wainwright react with dismay as they let a pop up by Red Sox shortstop Stephen Drew fall between them during the second inning. CHRIS LEE, MCT
Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright wipes his face as he pitches to Red Sox first baseman Mike Napoli during the second inning Wednesday. MATT SLOCUM, AP
Cardinals shortstop Pete Kozma can't handle a ball hit by the Red Sox's Shane Victorino during the second inning, Kozma's second error of the night. CHARLIE RIEDEL, AP
Cardinals shortstop Pete Kozma can't handle a ball hit by the Red Sox's Shane Victorino during the second inning, Kozma's second error of the night. CHARLIE RIEDEL, AP

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